(1) Field of Invention
The present invention relates to artificial eyelashes and, more particularly, to a system for attaching the artificial eyelashes to a tape strip.
(2) Description of Related Art
Eyelash extensions have been a popular cosmetic enhancement for several years. Eyelash extensions are applied to a user's natural eyelashes to save the user time and enhance their natural beauty.
Currently, there are many types of artificial eyelashes on the market, some better than others. Historically, artificial eyelashes were made of several artificial eyelashes that were adhered to a sticky strip. The sticky strip would then be applied to the user's eyelid to provide many artificial eyelashes in one easy procedure. A problem with the traditional artificial eyelashes is that they are bulky and do not look natural.
With advances in technology, single artificial eyelashes have been conceived. In other words, with single lashes, a single eyelash extension can be glued to a single natural eyelash. By gluing the eyelash extensions directly to the natural eyelashes, the natural look and fullness of the user is enhanced.
A problem with single eyelash extensions is that they are difficult to adhere to packaging for individual use. Traditionally, single eyelash extensions are attached with their ends against and in line with a sticky strip as depicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3. This is also illustrated with respect to twin-eyelash extensions in FIG. 5. The configuration depicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3 is the easiest configuration to generate as it allows the manufacture to lay the lashes on the edge of the adhesive strip to provide the end result, which looks nice and is the most easy to manufacture. However, such a configuration does not allow for the ends to protrude from both sides of the tape strip. Importantly, while they look nice, a problem exists because the ends of the eyelash extensions are not clean since the glue on the tape strip may stick to the end (root) of the eyelash extensions when drawn from the tape strip, which affects the ability of the eyelash extension adhesive to properly glue the eyelash extension with the natural lash. In other words, when a user pulls the roots from the tape strip, the roots may have glue that is stuck onto the roots. This glue can create a problem when attempting to apply the eyelash extension adhesive and, further, could inhibit the ability of the eyelash extension adhesive from properly adhering to the user's natural lashes.
Another problem with the prior art is with respect to flared lashes/branched lashes (i.e., many lashes merged together) that are positioned against the tape (in the configuration depicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3). When there are many lashes merged together, it can be difficult to peel them from the tape or, in some cases, after peeling the branched lashes from the tape the flared lashes separate or break.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for a system for attaching artificial eyelashes on a tape strip such that the artificial eyelashes are easily cleanable and do not separate or break when removed from the tape.